USDOT announces formation of Federal Committee on Automation

Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
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The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has announced the formation of an advisory committee focused on automation across several modes.  

 

The department says the committee consists of “leading professionals and experts in their field,” and that the committee’s first meeting will take place on Jan. 16, 2017. The committee is expected to immediately begin work on pressing issues throughout the transportation industry, such as the development and use of automated vehicles, as well as assessing the department’s needs as it moves forward with its work in research, policy and regulations.

“During my time at the Department, we have fostered some of the most significant technological changes to ever take place in transportation, and we did so while keeping our focus on the safety of the American people,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “This new automation committee will work to advance life-saving innovations while boosting our economy and making our transportation network more fair, reliable and efficient.”

 

Members of the new committee include:

 

  • Co-chair: Mary Barra – General Motors, chairman and CEO
  • Co-chair: Eric Garcetti – Mayor of Los Angeles
  • Vice chair: Dr. J. Chris Gerdes – Stanford University, professor of engineering
  • Gloria Boyland – FedEx, corporate vice president, operations and service support
  • Robin Chase – Zipcar; Buzzcar; Veniam, co-founder of Zipcar and Veniam
  • Douglas Chey – Hyperloop One, senior vice president of Systems Development
  • Henry Claypool – Community Living Policy Center, Policy Director
  • Mick Cornett – Mayor of Oklahoma City
  • Mary Cummings – Duke University, director, Humans and Autonomy Lab, Pratt School of Engineering
  • Dean Garfield – Information Technology Industry Council, president and CEO
  • Mary Gustanski – Delphi Automotive, vice president of engineering and program management
  • Debbie Hersman – National Safety Council, president and CEO
  • Rachel Holt – Uber, regional general manager, U.S. and Canada
  • Lisa Jackson – Apple, vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives
  • Tim Kentley – Klay- Zoox, co-founder and CEO
  • John Krafcik – Waymo, CEO
  • Gerry Murphy – Amazon, senior corporate counsel, aviation
  • Robert Reich – University of California, Berkeley, chancellor’s professor of public policy, Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy
  • Keller Rinaudo – Zipline International, CEO
  • Chris Spear – American Trucking Association, president and CEO
  • Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger- Safety Reliability Methods, Inc., founder and CEO
  • Bryant Walker Smith – University of South Carolina, assistant professor, School of Law and (by courtesy) School of Engineering
  • Jack Weekes – State Farm Insurance, operations vice president, Innovation Team
  • Ed Wytkind – president, transportation trades department, AFL-CIO
  • John Zimmer – Lyft, co-founder and president

 

“As technology develops, automation may play a larger role in a number of modes of transportation, including cars, buses, trains, planes, and UAS (drone) systems,” USDOT’s statement read. “This committee will play a critical role in sharing best practices, challenges, and opportunities in automation, and will open lines of communication so stakeholders can learn and adapt based on feedback from each other.”

The USDOT also emphasized the committee’s expected role in helping to prepare the country for projected needs in the decades to come. The department cited as an example of this work its Beyond Traffic 2045 Report that details a possible increase in freight volume by more than 40 percent as the national population continues to grow.

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